New Procedures of Entry and Exit to the Gaza Strip at the Erez Crossing Point

New Procedures of Entry and Exit to the Gaza Strip at the Erez Crossing Point

Jerusalem, January 1, 2004

The State of Israel appreciates and attaches great importance to the humanitarian activity of the international staff of foreign embassies, consulates and international organizations working in the Palestinian Authority (PA), and is operating to assist and facilitate their work.

While taking the above mentioned into consideration, due to the fact that in recent months we have noticed the growing involvement of some foreign citizens in activities that interfere with the work of the security forces, a new procedure of entry and exit of foreign citizens to and from the Gaza Strip has been formulated, in order to facilitate the ongoing work and movement of the international staff operating in the PA.

The procedure will enter into force on the 4th of January 2004.

The procedure will be as follows:

Diplomats and Consuls accredited to Israel will be identified by identity cards issued by the Foreign Ministry, as well as by their diplomatic or service passports. Their entry to the PA at the Erez Crossing will not require prior coordination.

Foreign Nationals bearing Diplomatic or Service Passports will be identified by their diplomatic passports/service passports or by their red-colored laissez-passer issued by the UN. Their entry into the PA will not require prior coordination.

Nevertheless, in order to facilitate smooth and efficient entry into the PA at the Erez Crossing, it is advisable to give advance notification to the representative of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) at the Erez Crossing regarding the arrival of official representatives or delegations.

Representatives of government aid organizations, U.N. bodies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Bank, ECTAO, and the IMF who carry identity cards issued by the Foreign Ministry will be identified by them as well as by laissez-passer issued by the UN or their national passports. Their entry into the PA will not require prior coordination.

Representatives of government aid organizations, U.N. bodies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Bank, ECTAO, and the IMF, and foreign nationals involved in projects sponsored by these organizations who do not have identity cards issued by the Foreign Ministry will be identified by their national passports and/or by the laissez-passer issued by the UN. These representatives will be required to coordinate their first visit to the PA at the Erez Crossing five working days in advance, unless their names already appear on the lists previously submitted to COGAT.

Representatives who have already carried out the aforementioned procedure and whose names appear at the Erez Crossing will not be required to coordinate their visit in advance.

Representatives of other international organizations that are not included in the above categories should coordinate their visit to the PA at the Erez Crossing, by submitting a Request for an Entry Permit into the PA, five working days in advance. The request should be submitted on an application form for "Entry into the Gaza Strip" available at the Erez Crossing. Representatives who have already carried out the procedure and whose names appear at the Erez Crossing will not be required to coordinate their visits in advance.

Journalists who have been recognized by the Government Press Office and who carry GPO identity cards, will be able to enter the PA at the Erez Crossing.

Notes:

The organization coordinating the entry of foreign representatives into the PA is the Foreign Relations and International Organizations Dept. at the Coordination and Liaison Administration, at the Erez Crossing.Telephone: 08-6741406Fax: 08-6741669

In recognition of the possible inconvenience that may arise in the course of your work as a result of changes in the procedures governing entry to the PA at the Erez Crossing, a reporting mechanism has been established. This mechanism is designed to provide your organization with messages sent in real time through email or fax which include announcements about changes in the entry procedures to the Gaza Strip, or other relevant information.

In order to enable the real-time message relay mechanism to function effectively, we would appreciate if each embassy/consulate/international organization would provide the Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an email address and fax number to which these messages should be sent.

In case of need, it is also possible to contact the Foreign Ministry Emergency and Crisis Management Center, 24 hours a day, at the following telephone number: 02-5303155.